How does a computer chip work?

In summary, the green thing in a gameboy is a circuit board that allows electricity to flow through it using connections and a power source. The programming code is stored in a rom chip on the circuit board, which is burned with the software needed for the gameboy to function and access games. The process of burning a rom chip is similar to burning a CD. The older gameboys used Z80 processors and can be modified to run custom roms and game cartridges.
  • #1
QuantumTheory
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If you are familiar with game boy, the gaming company by Nintendo, then i have a question for you. This also applies to any electronic device with a circuit board. It might not actually be a circuit board -- I don't know what it is called. But it is green and has a lot of connections on it. How do they work? How do you get the programming code (instructions) on these? How does the eletricity flow through them? I don't understand circuit boards, and would like some help on this area. Thank you.
 
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  • #2
QuantumTheory said:
If you are familiar with game boy, the gaming company by Nintendo, then i have a question for you. This also applies to any electronic device with a circuit board. It might not actually be a circuit board -- I don't know what it is called. But it is green and has a lot of connections on it. How do they work? How do you get the programming code (instructions) on these? How does the eletricity flow through them? I don't understand circuit boards, and would like some help on this area. Thank you.

That green thing is a circuit board. The connections running all over the place are like wires. Electricity is flowing through them. The batteries you put in the gameboy supply the power. When you flip the "on" switch, you are closing the circuit and allowing electricity to flow.

This part is a guess since I'm not very familiar with the inside of a gameboy:

As to how to program them... well, obviously the unit is microprocessor based. You program the instructions on the chips integrated onto the motherboard (the green thing).

The games are written seperately, as I'm sure you know. They are written in a high level programming language.

As for understanding circuit boards, essentially they are the same things as the circuits you built in physics class, with breadboards and wires, etc. All of the chips and wires, and other circuit compenents are packaged on those slim circuit boards.
 
  • #3
QuantumTheory said:
If you are familiar with game boy, the gaming company by Nintendo, then i have a question for you. This also applies to any electronic device with a circuit board. It might not actually be a circuit board -- I don't know what it is called. But it is green and has a lot of connections on it. How do they work? How do you get the programming code (instructions) on these? How does the eletricity flow through them? I don't understand circuit boards, and would like some help on this area. Thank you.

In addition to the above, there is a microprocessor(similar to the intel or PPC you are using to access this forum, only much much smaller) and some associated ram and rom. The rom holds all of the software needed to boot your gameboy up when there is no cartridge installed as well as the programs needed to access the games stored on the cartridge and any programs needed to decipher the games.

This rom chip(depending on the system it can be external to the microprocessor or internal to the microprocessor) are factory "burned" with all of the required programs. Essentially, the rom chip is connected to another computer(like an intel running windows) and the software is sent from the source(intel) computer to a rom burner(a device the rom chip plugs into to connect to the source). The rom burner applies a higher voltage than the chip normally sees which causes transistors within the rom to burnout. Rom and Ram are simply huge arrays of transistors. The pattern of damaged transistors can be read by the microprocessor and intrepreted as a program.

The process is very similar to burning a CD except a CD is not a little black chip soldered onto a motherboard; however, the fundamentals are still the same. Data is permenately burned onto a medium in a pattern correlating to a program or some other form of data.

The older gameboys used Z80 processors and if you look you can find a lot of information on how to modify the original gameboys to run custom roms and custom game cartridges.

Here's a little cool gadget someone put together for an older gameboy:
http://www.semis.demon.co.uk/Gameboy/DsoDemo/DsoDemo.htm

Hope this helped.
 
  • #4
faust9 said:
In addition to the above, there is a microprocessor(similar to the intel or PPC you are using to access this forum, only much much smaller) and some associated ram and rom. The rom holds all of the software needed to boot your gameboy up when there is no cartridge installed as well as the programs needed to access the games stored on the cartridge and any programs needed to decipher the games.

This rom chip(depending on the system it can be external to the microprocessor or internal to the microprocessor) are factory "burned" with all of the required programs. Essentially, the rom chip is connected to another computer(like an intel running windows) and the software is sent from the source(intel) computer to a rom burner(a device the rom chip plugs into to connect to the source). The rom burner applies a higher voltage than the chip normally sees which causes transistors within the rom to burnout. Rom and Ram are simply huge arrays of transistors. The pattern of damaged transistors can be read by the microprocessor and intrepreted as a program.

The process is very similar to burning a CD except a CD is not a little black chip soldered onto a motherboard; however, the fundamentals are still the same. Data is permenately burned onto a medium in a pattern correlating to a program or some other form of data.

The older gameboys used Z80 processors and if you look you can find a lot of information on how to modify the original gameboys to run custom roms and custom game cartridges.

Here's a little cool gadget someone put together for an older gameboy:
http://www.semis.demon.co.uk/Gameboy/DsoDemo/DsoDemo.htm

Hope this helped.


Thank you. Phew, that page is confusing. Alot of terms I do not understand. It is interesting though. Thank you. I'm also interested in lasers. I want to build my own, but I'm going to have to know a lot mor eabout optics to do so. And a lot of money..I think they cost around $2000+
 

1. How is data stored and processed on a computer chip?

A computer chip is made up of tiny electronic components called transistors. These transistors are arranged in a grid-like pattern on the chip, with each one acting as an on/off switch. Data is stored in binary form, represented by a series of 0s and 1s. When a transistor is turned on, it represents a 1, and when it is turned off, it represents a 0. The transistors work together to process instructions and perform calculations, allowing data to be stored and manipulated on the chip.

2. How does a computer chip communicate with other components?

A computer chip communicates with other components through a series of electrical signals. These signals are sent through tiny pathways on the chip called circuits. Each circuit has a specific function and is connected to other circuits to form a larger network. By sending and receiving electrical signals, the chip can communicate with other components and devices.

3. What is the role of the central processing unit (CPU) in a computer chip?

The CPU, also known as the "brain" of the computer, is responsible for executing instructions and performing calculations. It is made up of several smaller components, including the arithmetic logic unit (ALU), which performs mathematical operations, and the control unit, which manages the flow of data and instructions on the chip. The CPU is the most important part of a computer chip, as it controls the overall function and performance of the computer.

4. How does a computer chip use cache memory to improve performance?

Cache memory is a small amount of high-speed memory located on the computer chip. It is used to temporarily store frequently used data and instructions, making them quickly accessible to the CPU. This helps to improve the performance of the chip by reducing the time it takes to retrieve data from the main memory. The closer the cache memory is to the CPU, the faster it can retrieve data, resulting in faster processing speed.

5. What are the different types of computer chips and how do they differ?

The two main types of computer chips are microprocessors and microcontrollers. A microprocessor is a general-purpose chip that is used in personal computers and laptops. It is designed to handle a wide range of tasks and can be programmed to perform different functions. On the other hand, a microcontroller is a specialized chip that is used in embedded systems, such as appliances and automotive devices. It is designed to perform a specific set of functions and is often more energy-efficient than a microprocessor.

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